Lara Zara

Lara Yussif Zara (born 1982) is an Assyrian politician who serves as the mayor of the Assyrian town of Alqosh in Nineveh Governorate, Iraq.[4] Zara was appointed to the mayorship in July 2017 by the Kurdistan Democratic Party-led Nineveh Provincial Council[6] after the previous mayor had charges of corruption by the Provincial Council.[7][1] Zara is the first Christian mayor in Iraq being a Chaldean Catholic and is a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party.[8][4]

Mayor

Lara Yussif Zara
Arabic: لارا يوسف زارا‎
Mayor of Al-Qosh
Assumed office
27 July 2017[1][2]
GovernorNofal Hammadi (2017)
Faiez Abed Jahwareh (2018)
Mansour Marid (2019)
Preceded byFaiez Abed Jahwareh (discharged over allegations of corruption)[3]
Personal details
Born1982[4]
Political partyKurdistan Democratic Party[1]
Other political
affiliations		Shlama Entity (2014 elections)[5]
EducationGraduate in economics and management[4]

Mayorship of Alqosh

Immediately upon becoming the mayor of Alqosh, protests were held in Alqosh.[9] Zara argued that only Kurdistan Regional Government can keep the locals of Alqosh safe, mentioning the situation in Mosul as a reason to not trust the federal government in Baghdad.[10] In April 2019, Zara welcomed a delegation from the United States led by Deputy Chief of the American embassy in Iraq and Consul General in Kurdistan Steve Fagan to Alqosh for the inspection of the Tomb of Prophet Nahum located in the town.[11] In June 2019, she visited America and met with American officials to raise awareness of the circumstances of the Christians in the country.[12]

References
  1. "مجلس نينوى يعلن تعيين مدير جديد لناحية القوش شمال الموصل" (in Arabic). alsumaria.tv. 28 June 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  2. "Christian woman elected mayor of Iraqi town for first time ever". Catholic Herald. 2 August 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  3. "Alqosh, Christian village on faultline of Iraq and Kurdistan". Middle East Eye. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  4. Fides, Agenzia. "ASIA/IRAQ - Chaldian Catholic Lara Zara elected mayor of Alqosh - Agenzia Fides". www.fides.org. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  5. "قوائم ابناء شعبنا واسماء مرشحيهم المشاركين في انتخابات مجلس النواب العراقي". www.ishtartv.com (in Arabic). 4 April 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  6. Youhana, Rosemary (2019-01-29). "Kurdistan's Curious Democracy". The National Interest. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  7. Youhana, Rosemary (2019-01-29). "Kurdistan's Curious Democracy". The National Interest. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  8. "Irak - Élection d'un maire catholique chaldéen". InfoCatho (in French). 8 August 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  9. "UNPO: Assyria: Crowds Gather to Protest Mayor's Unfounded Expulsion". unpo.org. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  10. Wilson Face (25 September 2017). "Un irréductible village chrétien en révolte contre le Kurdistan". L'Orient-Le Jour (in French). Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  11. "وفد أمريكي عال المستوى يزور بلدة آلقوش الأثرية بمناسبة عيد القيامة" (in Arabic). 23 April 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  12. "Mayor of Al Qosh visits Washington to raise awareness of status of Christians in Iraq of Al Qosh visits Washington to raise awareness of status of Christians in Iraq - Representation in the United States". us.gov.krd. 14 June 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
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